Keith Schembri was privy to Security Service details on Yorgen Fenech as main suspect

Keith Schembri was privy to details on an investigation by the Malta Security Service, that was pointing at Yorgen Fenech as one of the main suspects in the investigation on the Daphne Caruana Galizia assassination.

MaltaToday has learnt that Schembri was present for a meeting between the MSS and Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, in which Fenech was being considered as a main suspect.

The information sheds new light on the role of Keith Schembri, as well as Joseph Muscat, if Yorgen Fenech had been made aware of any potential interest from the law before his arrest.

But Fenech has told police that it was the chief of staff of Malta’s prime minister, Keith Schembri, who was the mastermind behind the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Still police sources who spoke to MaltaToday say they are treading with caution on the claims: some versions have been said to have not been corroborated or indeed contradicted by facts.

It was in fact a year ago that Muscat signed an MSS order to tap the phone conversations between Fenech and the alleged middleman in the assassination, Melvin Theuma – sources close to the investigation told MaltaToday that the MSS had been tapping Fenech, arrested last week after attempting to escape from Malta in his luxury yacht, and taxi driver Melvin Theuma, for at least a year now.

The Times also reported that the MSS had been tapping the phone conversations of the Tumas magnate for 15 months.

MaltaToday is informed that it was the Prime Minister who signed the order. Such warrants are signed by either the home affairs minister, or the prime minister.

Muscat told the media that he had met Fenech in February 2019 at a social event.

The police have also examined conversations secretly recorded by Theuma on his mobile phone with Yorgen Fenech, which have been placed in the hands of a magistrate.

The recordings allegedly reveal that Fenech paid the three men who carried out the execution of Caruana Galizia, the sum of €450,000, through Theuma.

Some of the recordings were taken by Theuma when the taxi driver would be in conversation with Fenech about the aftermath of the assassination, most specifically when the three accused – George Degiorgio, Alfred Degiorgio, and Vincent Muscat – were being refused bail by the courts.

MORE • After Fenech’s arrest: businessman-gone-rogue or the Mafia stamp?

Schembri yesterday was given police bail to spend the night at home, but will be called back in for questioning by investigators.

Vincent Muscat confession

Reuters have now also reported that Vincent Muscat ‘il-Kohhu’ – one of three men formally charged with the assassination – had in April 2018 confessed to the police the killers were paid €150,000 to murder Caruana Galizia, in the hope of getting a pardon.

MaltaToday earlier today reported that recordings taken by taxi driver Melvin Theuma of his conversations with Fenech, revealed that the killers were paid €450,000 for the contract.

Theuma has been given a presidential pardon to spill the beans on the operation that led to the assassination.

Reuters have also reported that Mucsat drove Alfred Degiorgio ‘il-Fulu’ to several meetings with Theuma, but that he did not hear the two men’s discussions, details were relayed only to George Degiorgio ‘ic-Ciniz’.